A Proposal of Sorts
by KateToast
Summary: Luke and Lorelai decide they'd rather not do things out of order.


**A/N: **Apparently I'm creating my own GG post-finale universe without even meaning to. Oops! Been sitting on this one for a while, needed to finally post it.

**XXX**

_April 2008_

Lorelai trudged into the house, kicking her shoes off the moment she was inside and tossing her purse on the side table. "Oh my _God_ please tell me you anticipated the day I was going to have and you've opened a bottle of wine for me to guzzle. Seriously, Michel was in _fine_ form today and my mother was calling every other second with more complaints about the blueprints for the spa – why did you let me finally give in to that idea of hers, by the way? My poor phone has died from exhaustion."

She moved into the living room as she rambled, following the light and noise, and patted the top of Luke's hat-clad head as she came around the couch to settle beside him. He was sprawled out in the corner, remote in one hand and beer in another, one of those sports channels spitting out stats and odds. Lorelai let out a gusty sigh as she twisted her neck, trying to work out the kinks, propping her stockinged feet on the coffee table.

Luke wordlessly passed her his beer and she took it gratefully, taking a swig. "Thanks. Hi," she said, handing the drink back and kissing his cheek.

"Hi," Luke said. "So, long day."

"The longest," Lorelai confirmed, squinting at the TV. "What are we watching?"

"Highlights of the Red Sox game," Luke told her.

"Ah, the Sox. Wicked pissah," Lorelai said in her most obnoxious Boston accent. She had attempted to take at least a tiny bit of interest in sports, since Luke liked them so much. She put a hand on his thigh and grinned at him. "How was your day?"

"Long," Luke summarized also, taking a sip of beer.

Lorelai frowned at his silence – he certainly wasn't a Chatty Cathy by any means, but generally he filled her in on whatever town antics he'd witnessed in his day. She looked around the room for Paul Anka. "Where's the dog at?" she asked.

Luke shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. I fed him though."

Lorelai squeezed his leg. "Thank you," she said, and he nodded. She continued to watch him out of the corner of her eye, trying to think if she'd done something that he'd be annoyed about. Coming up with nothing other than the usual suspects (caffeine addiction, crazy dog, love of strange and stupid TV shows), she debated whether she should ask him what was wrong, but then decided if some sort of disagreement was going to occur she'd like to be in comfortable clothing.

She patted his thigh then removed her hand, going to get up. "I'm gonna change," she told him.

"Okay," he said, but he was doing that thing with his jaw that she knew meant he was trying to find the nerve to say something, and then suddenly he did: "Lorelai, I think we should get married."

Lorelai was halfway to standing when his words hit, and then she fell onto the couch again, surprise all over her face. She stared at him. "… What?"

Luke, nervous looking now, set his beer down on the coffee table and angled his body towards hers, adjusting his hat with both hands and then lifting them, as if in defeat of his admittance. "I think we should get married."

Hearing it a second time confirmed to Lorelai that it wasn't any sort of earwax buildup issue – he definitely said _married_. "You think we should get married," she repeated.

"Yes," Luke said, so sincerely Lorelai was taken aback. He let his hands fall to his lap. "I know we haven't really talked about it since we got back together, but it's been almost a year and we were engaged before so it's not like this is totally out of left field, except I guess it _is_ since we haven't really talked about it, and when we _did_ talk about it we both agreed there wasn't a big rush or anything, but I think we should get married. Make the commitment."

Lorelai took his words in, the way his hands gestured as he spoke so honestly and surely. "What brought this on?" she asked, thinking she knew the answer already.

"You know what did," Luke told her.

"When we decided though – you said you didn't wanna rush into getting married," Lorelai reminded him, remembering their recent conversation.

"I know I said that," Luke agreed. "But ever since… it's _all_ I've been able to think about. I thought I was okay with the idea of doing things out of order… but I don't think I am. It just doesn't feel right."

"You seemed to feel pretty _all_ _right_ with it last night," Lorelai said, which had Luke rolling his eyes.

"I just like the idea of us having a kid and being married, too."

"So you wanna get married because we've decided to try to have a baby?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes," Luke said, and then he shook his head, realizing the subtle trick she was playing. "No! Not entirely. But partly, yes." He took her hands. "Lorelai, I love you. You know I'm in this thing with us. For good. Forever."

Lorelai tangled their hands together and allowed a small smile. "I know that. I am too."

"So why should we wait any longer?" Luke asked her, voice softening. "We decided not to wait on the kid thing, so why should we wait on being married, too?"

"I know, Luke, but part of the reason we're trying the kid thing is age-related," Lorelai said. "You can get married at any ol' age."

"Why can't that age be now?"

Lorelai pursed her lips, looking at the man she was planning to spend the rest of her life with anyway, ring or no ring. "We don't have the best track records," she finally said, thinking of daisies, a cruise, an ultimatum, France.

"No, we don't. But we only need it to stick this one time," Luke said.

Lorelai shook her head, considering. "Being _married_ with a baby? Since when are we so conventional?"

"It must be our old age catching up with us," Luke joked, but then he grew serious again, catching her eye. "Lorelai, you did the single mom thing. You raised Rory on your own—"

"I had some help here and there," she interrupted. "Sometimes I had a whole town."

"Even so," Luke continued, "You were on your own with her. And I missed the first 12 years with April. If we're both gonna be doing this again… I want us to do it right. Together."

"Rings and all."

"Rings and all," Luke echoed, watching her.

"It's a pretty big deal."

"It is a big deal," he agreed.

Lorelai studied him. "Think we can handle it?"

Luke smiled. "I know we can."

She leaned against the couch back, taking all of it in, the meaning of this decision. "I guess it wouldn't be awful, being married to you," she said loftily.

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Thanks."

"You know, we are terrible with proposals."

"Hey, I proposed formally to you last time," Luke defended.

"All right, 1 out of 3 between us? Not great, buddy."

Luke shrugged and leaned back against the armrest. "Besides, who said _this_ was the proposal?"

Lorelai looked him up and down, scrutinizing, and crossed her arms over her chest. "If this wasn't the proposal then what was it?"

"An honest conversation, where we communicated our feelings to each other in a mature, adult way," Luke teased, and Lorelai remembered saying those words months ago when they were rebuilding their relationship.

She made a face and gently kicked at him, then left her feet in his lap. He rubbed one of her legs as they regarded each other. "So when is it?"

"What?"

"Your grand proposal?"

Luke frowned. "I'm not gonna tell you that."

"Is it soon? Is it in the summer? Are you gonna propose on the boat? Should I wear a hat?"

"I'm not telling you anything."

"Well I hope it's sooner rather than later," Lorelai said, poking his stomach with a toe. "If we're trying to be all 'conventional' like the Cleavers then we're gonna have to hold off on the baby-making."

"Who said we had to stop doing that?" Luke asked.

Lorelai smirked, quirking an eyebrow. "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me, aren't you?"

Luke leaned forward, placing his hands on Lorelai's hips to bring her closer to him, until she was in his lap. "Please don't compare me to some creepy cougar."

"You got the reference!" Lorelai celebrated, raising her hands, and Luke took the opportunity to start kissing her neck, mumbling, "It was an easy one," as his lips made their way up to her jaw.

"I still have to change," she told him.

He moved his mouth to hers. "I could help," he offered in a low voice.

"Hmm… okay," she agreed, getting to her feet and pulling Luke with her. She led him to the staircase but he stopped before they journeyed up, kissing her once more. He was grinning when they pulled apart. "What is it?" she asked, unable to contain a small giggle.

He brushed some hair from her face. "I'm just happy," he told her.

Lorelai could see that all of his anxiety from earlier was gone, replaced by a contentment she wanted to see on him every day. "I know we've got this mutual understanding thing now, but don't wait too long to actually propose, okay? I want our middle to start as soon as possible."

Luke's grin grew. "Let's go work on it, then," he suggested, nodding upstairs.

Lorelai bowed a bit and gestured with her hands for him to lead the way. "After you," she offered. Luke turned and started up the stairs, and Lorelai used the moment to lightly smack his butt. He turned to glare at her and then continued on. "You gave me an opening!" she defended, crowding him as they went up. "No one can resist that butt, Butch."

"Don't call me that."

"I think it should be our kid's middle name."

"Good God, no."

"What? It's a family name!"

"No, it isn't!"

"Well, we can _make _it a family name. I think it has –"

Luke kissed her to shut her up, and Lorelai was quite fine with that.

**XXX**


End file.
